Automatic rear car door safety lock



April 26, 1955 E. TREIGER AUTOMATIC REAR CAR DOOR SAFETY LOCK INVENTOR. 4 062 3444 fizz 5Z5 Filed Nov. 17, 1955 United States Patent AUTOMATIC REAR CAR DOOR SAFETY LOCK Eugene Treiger, Queens, N. Y.

Application November 17, 1953, Serial No. 392,578

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-229) This invention relates to door locks.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear car door safety lock, the action of which is automatic upon the closing of the corresponding front door.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rear car door safety lock of the above type which is adapted to be readily and easily mounted by the car owner on the conventional gutter of the car by means of easily attached mounting blocks.

it is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rear car door safety lock of the above type which may be mounted either on the outside or the inside of the car above the doors and which is adapted for both car doors which are hinged on corresponding sides or alternately on opposite sides, as desired.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic rear car door safety lock of the above type which is completely automatic in action upon the closing of the front door of the car and which may be mounted on both sides of the car, as desired.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an automatic rear car door safety lock bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, has minimum number of parts, is easy to use and efficient in operation, and which cannot be opened by children or the like when in the operative position.

For other objects and a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car showing the invention incorporated on the outside thereof;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of the device enlarged and shown partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear portion of the device with portions of the car door and gutter shown broken away;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the present invention shown in operative use;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a still further modified form of the present invention shown in operative use.

Referring now to the figures, and particularly Figs. 1 through 3, represents a conventional automobile having a front door 11 hinged along its front vertical edge, as at 12 and a rear door 13 hinged along its front vertical edge as at 14. The doors 11 and 13 are provided with the usual handles 15 and 16, respectively, while the car 10 is also provided with a longitudinally extending gutter 16 above the tops of doors 11 and 13, all in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In the practice of my invention, means are provided for automatically locking the rear door 13 when the front door 11 is closed, thus preventing children or the like from falling out of the car during operation as well as having many other obvious advantages. This locking action is accomplished in the following manner: A front mounting block 17 (Fig. 2) is provided with a longitudinal slot 18 extending upwardly from its bottom and adapted to fit onto the vertical portion of gutter 16, the block being retained thereon by means of a set screw 19 screw threaded through the block 17 and adapted to engage the outer surface of gutter 16. By means of its enlarged head, the screw 19 may be easily and readily adjusted by means of a screw driver by the operator of the car for mounting and removing the block. A V-shaped 2,707,122 Patented Apr. 26, 1955 arm 20 is pivotally mounted on its central portion across the horizontal top of block 17 by means of a pin 21, one end of the arm 20 having an opening 22 for a purpose which will hereinafter become clear. The other end of arm 20 is integrally formed with a vertically extending portion 23 which is bent inwardlyas at 24 and terminates in a depending tongue 25 adapted to be engaged by the upper edge of door 11, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, when the door 11 is closed, the upper edge thereof will contact depending portion 25 to move the vertical portion 23 towards the car gutter 16 and to rotate the arm 20 about pin 21, as will be obvious.

A second mounting block 26 is provided with a groove 27 extending upwardly from its bottom whereby the block is positioned on gutter 16, as shown in Fig. 3, the block being retained in position by a set screw 28 screw threaded through the block and contacting the outer surface of the gutter. By means of the enlarged slotted head of the screw 28, the block 26 may be mounted or removed and adjusted along the gutter 16 in a manner similar to block 17. The block 26 at its top is formed with an outwardly laterally extending portion 29 by means of which a vertical arm 30 is pivotally mounted about a pin 31. The upper end of arm 30 is provided with an opening 32 while the lower end thereof is bent inwardly, as at 33 and terminates in a depending portion 34 adapted to abut the outer surface of door 13 when the latter is closed and the arm 30 is in a vertical position. Thus, the door 13 will be prevented from being opened when the arm 30 is in the position of Fig. 3. A spring 33 serves to retain the arm 30 in a position displaced from the vertical and to permit the opening of door l3. A link 34 is secured at its forward end within the opening 22 of arm 20 while its rear end is securedwithin the opening 32 of arm 30, both in a pivotal manner, substantially as indicated. Thus, when the front door 11 is closed, the up per edge thereof will contact depending portion 25 to rotate arm 20 about pin 21 and to draw the link 34 towards the front of the car and to thus rotate the arm 30 to the vertical position of Figs. 1 and 3, whereby to lock the rear door of the car when the front door is closed. When the front door is opened, the spring 33' will automatically be permitted to draw the link 34 rearwardly and to permit the rear door 13 to be opened by rotating arm 30 in a counterclockwise direction away from the vertical position of Fig. 3.

By means of the screws 19 and 28, the mounting block 17 and 26 may be easily and readily mounted or removed from the conventional car gutter 16, as well as adjusted longitudinally with respect to each other and to their corresponding doors. While the invention has been shown mounted upon the outside of the car 10, it will be readily apparent to those skilled that the vertical arm 30 and arm 20 may be mounted on the inside of the car without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in any way. The invention may be mounted on one side of the car only, in which case the other rear door would be permanently locked, preferably on the side of the car away from the curb, or else the invention may be mounted on both sides of the car, in which case a duplicate arrangement would be provided.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, there is shown a modified form of the present invention different in the manner of actuating the arm 30 from the first form. In this form a mounting block 35 is provided with an upwardly extending slot 36 by means of which it straddles the vertical portion of gutter 16 and to which it is secured by means of the screw 37 screw threaded through the outer side of the block, the inner end of screw 37 engaging the outer surface of gutter 16. A vertical arm 38 is bent inwardly at its lower portion as at 39 and terminates in a vertical portion 40 secured to the inner face of door 11 at the top edge thereof by means of rivets 41 or other suitable fastening means, the upper edge of arm 38 being bent laterally, as at 42 and terminating in a laterally extending portion 43, substantially as illustrated. A flexible link 44 is secured at its rear end within the opening 32 of arm 30 and its forward end is fastened about a pin 45 carried at the top of mounting block 35. By proper positioning of the mounting block 35, the flexible link or cable 44 will be tensioned to a taut position by adjusting the block 35 forwardly and tightening the screw 37. Thus, when the front door 11 is closed, the laterally extending portion 43 secured thereto will contact the taut cable 44 and by bending the central portion laterally, as shown in Fig. 4, the upper portion of arm 30 will be drawn forwardly to rotate the latter to a vertical locking position against the action of spring 33.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 5, there is shown a still further modified form of the present invention, wherein the forward mounting block 17 of the first form is replaced by a second mounting block 26 mounted upon the forward portion of gutter 16 by its set screw 28. A vertical arm 46 is rotatably mounted at the outer end of the laterally extending portion 29 by means of the pin 31, the lower edge of arm 46 fixedly mounting a cam 47 while the upper end thereof is provided with an opening 48 which receives the forward end of the rod 34 of the first form. An arm 49 is provided with a depending portion 50 secured to the inner face of door 11 by rivets or other suitable fastening means 51, the upper end of arm 49 terminating in a vertical portion 52 to which is suitably secured a cam 53 adapted to cooperate with cam 47 and to rotate the arm 46 in the direction of the arrow. Thus, when door 11 is closed, the cam surface 53 will contact the cam surface 47 to move the latter in the direction of the linear arrow of Fig. 5, which will rotate the arm 46 about the pin 31 in the direction of the curved arrow, and which will draw the rod 34 forwardly to again force the arm 30 to the vertical locking position against the action of spring 33.

In other respects the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and are the same as those shown in Figs. 1 through 3, and like reference numerals identify like parts throughout the several views.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of my invention, what is claimed is:

1. An automatic rear car door safety lock comprising a rear mounting block, said mounting block having an upwardly extending longitudinal slot adapted to receive the upper edge of the car gutter, releasable means for locking said mounting block to the gutter, a laterally extending portion provided in said mounting block and extending outwardly beyond the rear car door, an arm rotatably mounted at the outer end of said laterally extending portion about a substantially horizontal axis in a plane parallel to the side of the car, the lower end of said arm when said arm is in a substantially vertical position being adapted to abut the outer face of the rear car door along the upper edge thereof, spring means carried by said rear mounting block for normally urging said arm away from the vertical, and pull means connected to the top of said arm for rotating said arm to a vertical position against the action of said spring means, said last mentioned means being actuable upon the closing of the front door of the car.

2. An automatic car door safety lock according to claim 1, said last mentioned means comprising a second mounting block having an upwardly extending longitudinal slot receiving the upper edge of the car gutter above the front door of the car, releasable means for locking said second mounting block to the car gutter, a substantially V-shaped arm rotatably mounted at the top of said second mounting block at its central portion about a vertical axis, said V-shaped arm lying in a substantially horizontal plane, link means connecting the inner edge of said V-shaped arm with the upper edge of said first arm, a vertical arm fixedly carried by the outer end of said V-shaped arm and terminating in a bottom portion adapted to be engaged by the inner face of the upper edge of the front door when the latter is closed whereby to rotate said V-shaped arm and to draw the upper edge of said first arm forwardly and to move said first arm to a substantially vertical locking position.

3. An automatic rear car door safety lock according to claim 1, said last mentioned means comprising a second mounting block having an upwardly extending longitudinal slot adapted to receive the upper edge of the car gutter, releasable means for locking said second block to the gutter above the front door, a flexible link connecting the upper end of said first arm with said mounting block, said flexible link being normally taut, and a vertical arm fixedly carried by the inner face of the front door along the upper edge thereof, said last mentioned vertical arm having a lateral portion adapted to engage said flexible link when the front door is closed whereby to pull the upper end of said first vertical arm forwardly and to move said first vertical arm into a vertical locking position upon closing the front door.

4. An automatic rear car door safety lock according to claim 1, said last mentioned means comprising a second mounting block having an upwardly extending longitudinal slot receiving the upper edge of the car gutter therein, releasable means for locking said mounting block onto the gutter, a laterally extending portion provided in said mounting block, a second vertical arm rotatably mounted at the outer end of said laterally extending portion about a lateral, horizontal axis, link means connecting the upper ends of said first and second vertical arms, a cam surface projecting laterally and fixedly carried by the lower end of said second vertical arm, and a second cam surface fixedly carried by the upper edge of the front door and adapted to engage said first cam surface whereby to rotate said second vertical arm in a clockwise direction when the front door is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

